ORCID
- Bernadette Quinn: 0000-0002-0807-8465
Abstract
The growing individualisation of society has long been a topic of discussion, with ongoing debates querying the implications for social connectivity. However, these debates have yet to substantively connect with the festivals literature and this oversight needs redress. While festivals have long been prized for their collective sociality, a small minority of people attend on their own. This paper reports findings from a music festival audience survey which found that 3% attended predominantly alone. The findings emphasise that aloneness exists within the sociality of the festival. They further suggest that festivals can constitute safe spaces enabling solo attendees to feel at ease among other like-minded music enthusiasts and feel the benefits of attending alone. The experience is not always perfect, however, especially at particular moments, and some solo attendees would like to have company, but compensation comes in the flexibility and empowerment that being alone affords.
Keywords
Live music, Music festivals, Aloneness, Solo attendance, Loneliness, Social interaction, Personal freedom
DOI Link
Publication Date
2025-03-07
Publication Title
Event Management
Volume
29
Issue
7
ISSN
1525-9951
First Page
1003
Last Page
1018
Deposit Date
2025-08-07
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Additional Links
Recommended Citation
Quinn, B., Kinnunen, M., & Honkanen, A. (2025) 'Music Festivals and Individualized Sociality: Investigating the Experience of Solo Festival Attendees', Event Management, 29(7), pp. 1003-1018. Available at: 10.3727/152599525X17385344274559